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Describes how UPS created UPS Supply Chain Solutions, an entirely new business, with carefully selected target market segments for which unique and extensive value offerings were designed. To build this business UPS made numerous acquisitions and successfully resolved post-acquisition integration challenges in compensation, information systems, personnel policies, and organizational culture.

This study aims to introduce students to uncontrolled and unprecedented business scenarios and strategies to deal with them, to make students understand the importance of contingency planning and create what-if scenarios, to step by step guide students how to build a network contingency planning tool and to enable students to use tools such as solver to build up a dashboard with given information.

The case is about Godrej Commercial, a vertical of Godrej and Boyce that handles warehousing and transportation support to five verticals under the banner of Godrej operating pan India. How Godrej is trying to deal with COVID pandemic, what were their coping strategies and how contingency planning is done is what this case is all about. The main focus of this case is understanding how network contingency planning is done and what parameters should be considered. How a dashboard can be developed that can be used as a base for taking strategic decisions related to networking given the uncertainties due to COVID. The case gives hands on to students to use solver and build a dash board, plus gives a peep into Godrej and its operations.

This study is suitable for students of undergraduate or first year MBA level. Specifically, the case can be used in business strategies, operations and supply chain management courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

This is a case of a crisis project management which showcases the unpredictable nature of the project and the role of management in handling the crisis. It is the case of a very severe cyclonic storm hitting the city of Visakhapatnam plant during October, 2014. The whole city was devastated and so was the situation in the Steel plant as it was under zero power conditions for around 10 days. This case gives need for managing an integrated steel plant in case of very severe cyclonic storm and documents the sequence of events and managing unforeseen uncertainty using NTCP concepts.

The learning outcomes are as follows: students will identify the reasons for a firm to internationalize and its specific internationalization entry mode; students will distinguish how to follow the client and how physic distance strategies work; students will analyze a host country’s external environment using the PESTEL framework, and they will analyze the international strategies followed by a multinational enterprise using the integration-responsiveness framework as well.

The authors explore the case of DICOMA Corporation, a Costa Rican multinational enterprise with presence in five countries. Adrian Sanchez, who is Dicoma’s president, needs to craft an international strategy to increase the international sales in the foreign markets where the firm operates. The company may follow two paths. On the one hand, Dicoma can adopt the strategy of following its major clients to expand overseas, which will lead to the opening of operations in more countries, but making the foreign sales highly dependent on these types of partnerships. This has been so far the path pursued by Dicoma in its international expansion. On the other hand, Dicoma can opt to focus on increasing commitments in the existing international markets where it already has operations by capturing new clients in those locations but scarifying the potential business opportunities to enter into other countries in partnership with its major clients.

Post-graduate early stage business students enrolled in programs such as Master of Business Administration, Master of Management, Master of International Business, executive education programs, among others.

Teaching notes are available upon request for educators only. These teaching notes should be shared solely with the instructor and students should not have access to. Please contact your library to gain login or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 5: International Business.

This case is based on an existing firm. The names have not been changed, and all data on the firm’s history and opportunities is accurate. Primary data is based on interviews with the owner of the firm. One of the authors is a client of the studio and friend of the owner. The case has been reviewed and approved by Jill Murphey, owner of yogaErie. The purpose of this paper is to introduce students to industry analysis, to entrepreneurial decisions and to issues with organizational growth and change.

Jill Murphey, owner of Yoga Erie, is considering whether to or how to expand her studio operations into adjacent communities. Her studio has been very successful since she opened in 2009: the studio has been named Erie’s Best for most of the years since then. Classes were filled and students were asking about the prospects of a satellite studio in other parts of the community. Information on the options Murphey was considering are presented as well as Murphey’s motivations in opening her own studio, and the opportunities as well as concerns she faced in the expansion decision.

This case was originally targeted toward graduate and undergraduate courses in Strategy because of the industry definition and diversification problems but can also be used in classes on Organizational Change or Entrepreneurship.